Carolina’s third preseason game against New England on Friday night was a dress rehearsal for the regular season, and the first half carried plenty of drama.
The Panthers won 25-14, but lost a fourth offensive lineman in as many weeks as fill-in right tackle Jeremiah Sirles left the game with a hamstring injury.
And quarterback Cam Newton gave the crowd a scare as he scrambled on third-and-9 in the team’s opening drive, flipped after contact and lost the ball. Somehow, the ball squirted between two Patriots players and was recovered by running back Christian McCaffrey, but Newton appeared to land on his head during the play.